Taking Chances
by enigma013
Summary: Charlotte is a pretty ordinary girl. However, her friend's tendancy to get into sticky situation creates a mess for her and she gets tangled in the web of vampires. As she gets to know the quiet yet alluring Godric, she begins to realize that her life wasn't all that jazzy to begin with. No, life means nothing if you aren't willing to take chances. Godric/OC AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, okay, I know it says on my profile that I am currently engrossed in an original story that I'm planning to publish, but this caught my attention somehow and these pages just seemed to write themselves. I know my other stories are on a little bit of a hiatus, but it's simply because the shows are, too. It's how my frame of mind works regarding FF, I suppose. Anyway, I was looking at OC's for Godric and I just couldn't stand the typical approaches, I guess. Not that I think my OC is all that great—she really isn't—but I wanted to test something else out. I might continue this if I get any reviews or positive responses. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood.**

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**One**

"Tell me this isn't what I think it is," Charlotte deadpanned. Her eyes, scrunched and scrutinizing, were cast in dark shadows and the angles of her jaw glowed under the multi-colored light dancing above her head. Music throbbed through the air with a horribly retro beat. A line of people flowed horizontally in front of her until it curved behind a corner and the faces disappeared. The swell of excitement that had electrified her heart died in a single beat. No, she thought, this cannot be how I'm spending my Friday night.

Beside her, Andie rolled her eyes playfully. "Char, it's a club. You said you wanted to have fun, didn't you?" She gave Charlotte a cheeky grin as she rolled back and forth on the balls of her feet, looking very much like a child trying to persuade an adult.

There was no arguing that. Midterms had been a bitch and Charlotte needed a carefree night with her best friend. However, she had not intended to spend it at a club of all places.

"I prefer to _remember_ having fun," Charlotte mumbled cynically, turning away from the glowing lights of _Bites, _the not-so-creatively named establishment.

"Who says you can't go to a club just to dance? I _promise_ I won't make you do shots." Andie flashed a pair of puppy eyes.

Oh God, Charlotte thought, closing her eyes with a sigh. I'm going to hell.

Only a half-hour passed before Andie had downed three shots and was urging Charlotte to join her, by way of using their specially procured fake-I.D.'s. Andie's speech was becoming exponentially slurred with each passing minute—she never could hold her liquor. Charlotte stuck to her side like glue, rejecting each man that tried to make a pass at Andie, who seemed full of bubbling laughter and alluring smiles.

The night couldn't have gotten any worse. Which is the damning thought that always makes something worse happen, of course.

Charlotte's head was swimming an hour later. There were so many smells—cigarette smoke, that from the fog machine, _people_. The music was far too loud on her already maxed-out brain and her eyes burned with fatigue. A couple sitting next to them was drinking a bottle of true blood, and the realistic color of the liquid made her stomach churn. Checking Andie, she wondered if she could slip outside for a minute to grab some fresh air and gather her bearings.

"Excuse me," she half-shouted over the music to the bartender. He had been tending to them all night, and although he had made several flirty comments to Andie as well, seemed much more gentlemanlike than the pigs they were otherwise surrounded by. His hand reached to pour another drink, but Charlotte shook her head. "I'm going to be gone for just a minute. Don't let her leave, okay?" The man nodded, his gaze sliding over to Andie, who was chatting up some guy in a cowboy hat. Reassured by this, Charlotte told Andie of her desire to slip out for a moment before stepping away.

When the wind met Charlotte's cheek, she sighed in content and rubbed at her head. Sometimes Andie could be a little much, but then again, they'd been friends since high school. This was hardly any different than those times they had gone to all those keggers; Charlotte had only gone to be the designated driver. It's not that partying wasn't her thing. She was just getting too little sleep for it, lately. There was too much pressure at school and at work.

Upon reentering the club, she found herself in a better temperament and wellbeing. The place was absolutely packed, which was to be expected on a Friday night. People were everywhere, quite literally. She had to push past sweaty limbs to reach the bar again.

A spurt of panic charged through her heart after she scanned the bar's occupants no less than three times and came up empty of Andie. She checked once more in haste to be certain, but there was still no sign of her maple-haired friend. Striding up to the bar, she leaned forward and motioned to catch the bartender's attention.

"Where did my friend go?" Her voice was pitchy and erratic; her grip on the smooth surface of the bar was fierce. This wouldn't be the first time Andie vanished with some guy. And it probably wouldn't be the last. This couldn't happen tonight, though. They had to work tomorrow.

The bartender shrugged and nodded off towards the VIP section. "She wandered over there a few minutes ago."

"Did you see who she was with?"

"The man she was talking with," he said. "With the black cowboy hat. I'm 'fraid that's all I got."

It would have to be enough. Charlotte nodded at him and threaded her way through the crowd, her eyes perusing over any face in her line of sight. Red velvet ropes sectioned off the VIP area from the dance floor. Neon colored furniture adorned this section, filled with richly dressed people. Charlotte didn't realize that a bouncer was approaching her rigidly until he was standing before her.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to move," he said.

Charlotte stood on her tiptoes to peek over his shoulder. "I'm just looking for my friend. I'm not staying."

The bouncer raised an eyebrow—this wasn't the first time he had heard that story. Charlotte gave him a sincere imploring look. "Really," she said. "She has sort of light-brown hair, she's wearing a purple dress—there she is!" When her eyes landed on the girl in question, Charlotte pointed at her, relieved. She was wrapped up in some guys arms as he kissed her neck passionately. Typical Andie.

The bouncer glanced over at Andie and nodded curtly, allowing Charlotte through.

She didn't recognize any of the people Andie was sitting with. She didn't even realize what was truly happening to her friend until she stepped closer.

The lighting was especially dim here, the music somehow louder. Or maybe it was the pounding of Charlotte's heart. Discarded, full bottles of Trublood sat upon a small oval coffee table sitting just before the large couch. The man in the cowboy hat who Charlotte had thought to be kissing Andie wasn't actually kissing her—he was _biting_ her.

Charlotte moved without thinking. She stepped up to him and shoved at his chest, making him pull back from Andie's neck with a dumbfounded look. When his eyes landed on Charlotte and scanned her body, a smirk overtook his blood-stained lips. It colored his teeth a sick, gory red.

"Well, darlin', if you wanted to join you only had to ask," he drawled.

Charlotte didn't realize they had spectators until she heard light, silvery laughing from the group beside him. As if this wasn't unnerving enough, she glanced over to find all eyes on her, waiting keenly for her next move. She could see the predators within them calculating and plotting.

Charlotte swallowed hard. She kept her shoulders squared and her head up. _Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, don't be afraid._

She was afraid.

"Andie," she said, purposely speaking to her friend. "We're leaving. Now."

Andie giggled like a little girl and rolled her eyes. "Char, have some _fun_ already! You can be _so_ uptight!" Her words mingled together as a direct effect of too much alcohol.

Charlotte stepped closer and laid a hand on her friend's upper arm. "Come on. We have to work tomorrow."

"If the lady wants to stay, she can stay," the vampire said, raising a challenging eyebrow at Charlotte.

"I really don't think that decision is up to her, right now," Charlotte said, keeping her eyes only on Andie. If she looked at him, she would buckle under the weight of his stare. She could feel her heart throb in her chest, pound achingly against her ribs, pulsate to her fingertips. Yes, she was scared. But instinct ruled over emotion. Her instinct told her to get the hell out of there.

Andie batted Charlotte's hand away. "I can do what I want," she said huffily. "Like he said."

"But remember we have to see _Delilah_ tomorrow?" Charlotte gritted between her teeth, trying her hardest not to tremble visibly. Delilah was code for getting in too deep. They had established it years ago after an especially eventful party. The word seemed to shake Andie to her senses. She blinked twice at Charlotte before looking fretfully at the man who was clutching her.

"I…" Andie trailed off with a heavy frown. The pieces were visibly clicking together.

Don't look at him, Charlotte thought. Just don't.

She did. Her eyes immediately flicked back to Andie, she was so shocked by the malevolence in his nearly black eyes. She wanted to wrench Andie out of his grasp, but he was a _vampire_—he was thirty times stronger than she was. More than that, even.

"We don't want any trouble," she said mostly to the floor, but loud enough to be picked up by a vampire. "Just let her leave."

"I'm not quite done with her yet," the man said, grinning wickedly.

Charlotte panicked. Another vampire had sped to his feet and now stood beside her menacingly, looking every bit like a shark ready to eat its bait. Charlotte moved to grab Andie but became caught in the other vampire's vice-like grip. He pulled her close to his body—too damn close—and his breath tickled the skin on her neck sickly. She shivered and gasped, thinking frantically for a way out of this. There is always a solution. Always.

It was a public place—of course. The music was loud, but maybe she could be louder.

"_Rape!_" she screamed and squirmed. "_Rape!"_

That definitely caused some heads to turn. The vampire holding her paused in momentary shock before wrapped a hand over her mouth. "Stan—"he began to say, but was quickly cut off by the bouncer who had stopped her. He now had his fangs out and ready.

"There ain't no live drinkin' here," he said, narrowing his eyes at the two vampires holding the girls. "Let em' go and I'll give you a warning. _Again._"

The vampire—Stan—seemed to toss over this idea in his head for a second. Then he froze completely, his eyes focused on something behind Charlotte. She craned her head around to see.

It was a boy who couldn't have been older than nineteen or twenty. He was dressed simply, in a v-neck shirt that revealed a tattoo below his collarbones and dark jeans. His eyes were surprisingly light and held a hint of anger. Charlotte couldn't think of any reason why this boy would seemingly frighten the vampire holding Andie.

"Stan," the boy spoke. There was a precision to his voice, an accent that cut words smoothly and with a sense of authority. It wasn't an accent Charlotte was familiar with. She had the sudden realization that he couldn't be simply nineteen or twenty—something in those eyes looked much older. "I trust that I am not early for our meeting."

Stan stuttered a moment, then replied with a, "No, sheriff." _Sheriff_? Huh? "I was just… getting a drink ready for you."

So he's a vampire, too. It made sense, why his eyes looked so much older than the rest of him. Worn down, almost.

The boy's gaze was unflinching. "I have no appetite. Release the girls."

Stan and the other vampire did as they were told, slackening their grip until both Andie and Charlotte could take three big steps away from them. Charlotte stared at the boy for a moment before grabbing Andie.

He met her eyes. "I apologize for you and your friend."

Charlotte didn't say anything. What was there to say? She dragged a stumbling Andie away, but spared a glance over her shoulder. Stan was glowering at her—she could just imagine his eyes flashing red—and the boy stood facing away from her, tense.

Her muscles didn't relax until she was outside, but she could still feel the prickle of adrenaline course through her veins. No, this was definitely not how she wanted to spend her Friday night.

"Andie," she said. "I'm throwing away your fake I.D."

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**Shall it be continued, or no? It's up to you guys.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood. **

**A/N: Two in twelve hours is an extreme rarity for me. I think I'm trying to work this out for a few so I can interchange between different stories. Reviews will help greatly, though, and I realize that there was hardly any introduction to Godric in the first chapter. This hopefully will sate a little bit of that as I delve deeper into this. More to come if you review because after this, I'm not updating unless I get some feedback. Thank you to those who have reviewed thus far. Much love! (-: **

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**Two**

"I don't think you should be hung-over and handling weapons at the same time." Charlotte glanced at Andie speculatively as the other girl placed the cold handle of the handgun she held to her temple and groaned.

"They aren't loaded," Andie reasoned, her eyes pinched shut against the lights glaring down on them from above. She slumped against the counter and cradled her head in her hands. "What did you say I did last night, again?"

Charlotte bit her lip. She hadn't told Andie the truth—there was no way to gauge how her friend would react, and she herself was still completely unsettled by the whole ordeal. "You just drank too much."

Andie nodded. It was definitely believable. "And what happened to my fake I.D.?"

Turning away to deposit her fully-cleaned weapon on the rack beside all the others, Charlotte said, "You puked on it."

"Figures," Andie sighed. "Mike's gonna kill me. It cost him a hundred bucks."

"Maybe it'll do you some good not to have it for a while," Charlotte said quietly. She took the weapon from Andie's hand and began cleaning it. "I think he'd be more upset if we didn't get to work."

"Sometimes I wonder why I willingly agreed to this job," Andie muttered as she crossed the room to grab a water bottle.

Charlotte said nothing. She returned to the task at hand—cleaning the weapons used for Andie's brother's private security company. They had simple jobs—cleaning the hardware and getting small things ready for whatever gigs the company had been hired for. Since the vampires 'came-out-of-the-coffin' a while back, business had definitely picked up. For two sophomore college girls, being paid to work side-by-side by a family member was a pretty great deal.

After several hours of nonstop work, the somber atmosphere was broken up when Andie's brother, Mike, strolled in. There were several different parts of the building; Andie and Charlotte happened to spend most of their time in the prep room.

Like Andie, Mike had unique maple-colored hair and dark eyes. Although he wasn't very old—only a couple years older than Andie—he had the business all to himself. Their late father had left it to him and his sister, but Mike had full ownership. He leaned against the doorframe, examining the girls' work.

"Better finish up," he said. "I need you to start unpacking the silver we got in last week. We've got a pretty big gig scheduled."

Charlotte looked up, immediately on edge. "Silver?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's not what you'd think, though. Some vamps are looking for a little extra security."

Andie raised an eyebrow. "Vampires are coming in?"

"Tonight," said her brother. "Their human rep sounded pretty serious on the phone."

"Did they say what they needed the security for?"

Mike gave Andie a look. "You know I'm not supposed to ask."

"Right," Andie said, sharing a mischievous look with Charlotte. When her brother had disappeared once more, she twirled around in a circle. "Vampires! Can you believe it? How cool is this?"

Charlotte kept her focus steadily on shining the barrel of the gun in hand. "They're just vampires," she said. "It's not like they're that much different than us."

"Yeah, except they _eat_ us, live forever, have _the_ craziest parties, and not to mention _they live forever!_" Andie looked exuberant. "This is freaking awesome! I've ever met a vampire before."

_Oh yes you have_, Charlotte thought grimly. "Mike's not gonna let us stick around. We're just the help, anyway."

"Did you see the shipment he was talking about? It's gonna take us hours to unload. We'll definitely be here when they come."

Charlotte mentally cussed. If Andie could remember the previous night, she would be just as anxious to jet before anyone showed up. But her friend remained oblivious to Charlotte's anxiety over the matter. She stepped up her work with an excited sort of glee.

However, Andie had been right. There were dozens of boxes out in the back, near storage. They had to open each individually, take stock, and prep them for 'showcasing' as Mike liked to call it. He was quite fond of his work.

Night was falling by the time the end of work was in sight. There were only a few boxes left. Andie kept peeking up at the door as she tried to push her smile down into something more serious. Charlotte was growing restless and worked faster. She didn't want to be here when they came.

She truly wasn't prejudiced against vampires. Quite the opposite, in fact. She believed in freedom and the right to live, no matter who or what you were. But they were foreign territory for her. The previous night spoke volumes regarding that.

Mike's voice was drifting in from the corridor. Andie squealed quietly in delight, grinning at Charlotte, as she tried to make a show of being engrossed in her work. Charlotte could feel her stomach do flip-flops.

"You'll see we've got a variety of ways to successfully apprehend a vampire without killing it," Mike was saying as they grew very close. "Silver nets, automated misters, and the like. I can show you the hardware."

He pushed open the door to the room, then, and led in a trio of vampires.

Charlotte stopped breathing.

She recognized the black cowboy hat first and a dark smirk upon his face—Stan. Her gaze seemed to lock with his before she registered the two others beside him. There was a dark-skinned woman with a reserved look about her. Then there was the boy—the vampire—too. The one they had called 'sheriff'.

His light eyes met hers immediately. She couldn't read his expression—surprise? Her attention returned to Stan, who was hungrily eyeing Andie across the room. She was obviously holding her breath and trying to restrain a smile.

Oh God.

"This is my sister and her friend," Mike was saying, completely oblivious to the tension that had risen between Charlotte and the vampires. "Andie and Charlotte. They're prepping everything for you."

Stan smirked. "We've met."

The boy turned an imposing look on him. He looked back to Charlotte. "I don't believe we were properly introduced. I apologize again for the—"he looked sidelong at Stan—"misfortune of our meeting. I am Godric."

Mike looked between Godric and Charlotte with a creased forehead. "How did you meet?"

Andie, too, gave Charlotte a questioning glance.

"They know Lily," Charlotte said quickly, flitting to the first thing that came to mind. She already made the choice to lie to Andie—now she had to stick with it and deal with the consequences. "It was a while back."

Godric tilted his head to the side just the slightest. Amusement and interest flickered in his eyes. There was only a millisecond of a pause. "Yes," he said. "Quite some time ago."

To say that she was shocked the vampire didn't call her out on her lie was an understatement. She wholly expected Stan to do so, but with a glance at his sheriff, he wisely said nothing.

Andie was perhaps the most trusting person Charlotte knew. She fully accepted this explanation, but gave her friend an endearing look that said "we're-so-gonna-gossip-about-this-later." Mike was much more suspicious in nature, but he continued on.

"It's late," he said to Charlotte and Andie. "You two should get on home." Which was code for I'm-consulting-them-about-uber-top-secret-security-stuff-so-scadaddle.

"Of course," Charlotte said. She turned to Andie, who was visibly disappointed. "Come on, let's get out of here." She gave her best effort to not shudder repulsively when she passed by Stan on the way out the door. Godric was much more polite about the ordeal, and the woman that was accompanying them looked plain confused.

Once the door had been shut behind them, Andie snagged Charlotte's arm and dragged her out to the modern-styled lobby. "Okay," she said, the disappointment abated for supreme interest. "Why didn't you ever tell me you knew a vampire?"

"It just never came up, I guess."

Andie planted her hands on her hips. "Never came up? Are you kidding? Your grandmother's birthday is something that doesn't come up—not meeting a fucking vampire."

"What's with the interrogation?" Charlotte asked irritably. "I only _met_ him. So what?"

"God, you can be _such_ a bore!" Andie complained. "Don't you think it's exciting? Even a _little_ bit?"

"I think we should go home," Charlotte said. "And talk about this later."

Andie huffed petulantly. "Fine. But we _will_ talk about it later." She started towards the door but stopped just as quickly. "I forgot my bag. Be right back."

Charlotte watched as Andie disappeared into the corridor once more, wringing her hands nervously. She wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Guilt swelled in her heart terribly when she thought about how much she had lied in one mere day, but it was for Andie's own good. At least she tried telling herself that.

Several minutes had passed since they left Mike and the vampires alone to consult. Charlotte wasn't surprised to find that they were wrapping things up for the night. Most clientele wanted an idea of what they would pay for in advance and came back at a later time to set things up officially.

There was a strange heaviness to the set of Mike's shoulders. Whatever the topic of discussion had been, it had not been pleasant. As they returned to the lobby, both Stan's and Godric's eyes landed on Charlotte. Mike gave her a look.

"Andie forgot her bag," she explained.

Mike nearly snorted. "I'm surprised that girl doesn't forget to breathe," he muttered as he pulled apart from the standing group and headed towards his office. "I'll just be a minute."

Charlotte's mouth dropped open to protest, but she couldn't. Mike thought she knew these vampires, after all. Of course he wouldn't think twice about leaving her with them.

It wasn't surprising that Stan spoke first.

"Well, well, what a coincidence, huh? Looks like we'll be spending some time together." He flashed a predatory smile that sent shivers down Charlotte's spine.

"Stan," Godric said tersely. "Remove yourself."

Stan balked a moment, but the words were reinforced by a heavy stare until Stan slowly moved towards the exit. The nameless woman stared after him, equally as shocked.

"Your friend," Godric said to Charlotte. "She does not recognize us?"

_He wants to know why he lied for me._ "She can't remember last night," Charlotte explained slowly. "I think it's better that way."

Godric seemed to study Charlotte for a moment. The black tattoo at the base of his throat was more pronounced by the dark shirt he wore. "I see. There are other security companies that could suit us. We will not force our presence."

That was the last thing Charlotte expected to come out of his mouth. "No," she said instantly, thinking of Mike. "No, no that's not necessary." She internally scoffed at herself. "It's fine, really."

No, it really isn't. But she didn't have the heart to destroy potential clientele for her boss.

Andie sidled back into the room at that moment. She was absorbed in a text on her phone until she looked up. Her smile was overtly bright. Before she could say anything, Charlotte interrupted.

"You ready to go?"

Andie frowned. "Yeah. It was nice meeting you," she said to the pair of vampires.

Godric's eyes hadn't left Charlotte's. "You as well."

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**If you want a continuation, review please.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood.**

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**Three**

"Listen, cupcake," Andie said from across the table where she nursed a black coffee. Her brown eyes bored straight into Charlotte's, unrelenting and keen. "I know you're not telling me something."

Charlotte stirred her cup until she thought its contents would spill in the maelstrom she created. Chatter from the small café wafted through the air around them, exuding warmth and laughter, yet it had been tense between the two friends since the previous night.

"Would I lie to you?" She jested with a half-hearted smile.

"Yes," Andie deadpanned. "Without a doubt."

_To protect you,_ Charlotte thought sadly.

As if it was a miracle granted by God himself, Andie's phone buzzed just then. She scowled and drew it from her purse.

"It's Mike," she said. "Says he needs us back."

Charlotte breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"This isn't over," Andie warned her.

"So you say," Charlotte mumbled as they scooted from their seats. "I'll just wait for your ADD to kick in."

It wasn't a long walk from one of the busier streets of Dallas to the Brynwood Security building. In a place filled with conservatively dressed men and women that were at least over twenty-five, Charlotte and Andie stuck out like polka-dots on plaid. The secretary stationed at the very front of the windowed building waved them towards Mike's office.

Andie arched an eyebrow. "I always wondered how it'd feel to get fired."

Charlotte threw her a look. "We're not getting fired."

Her friend's returning look was one of doubt.

They pushed through a set of glass double doors and entered the modern office. Behind a sleek silver desk sat Mike, shoveling his way through a pile of paperwork with a creased forehead. When the girls walked in, his expression grew worrisome. He stood. An air of formality choked the room.

"Shit," Charlotte muttered to Andie. "You're right."

` Mike gestured to the set of chairs before the desk. "Sit."

Andie's eyes rolled. "Can't you just cut to the point?"

Mike grew agitated. "Fine. Right to it, then." He slid open a drawer in the desk and picked something small up between two pinched fingers. The object was held at a short distance from his body, like it was something repulsive. He held it up for them to see clearly. It was a small vial containing a red liquid.

"Look familiar?" He asked with an edge to his voice.

Charlotte's mouth fell open. "Is that _V?_"

"So you recognize it, then?"

_Oh God_, Charlotte thought, looking at her best friend. _I knew something was up with her lately. I just didn't think it was this bad._

Andie, however, was blinking in surprise. "You do V, Char? Honey, why didn't you tell me? That's not the way—fake I.D.'s are one thing. Drugs are something else entirely."

Charlotte choked on air. "_What?_"

Mike was shaking his head in disappointment. "Char, darlin', you know you could've come to me about this, don't you? Not as your boss, but your friend. But… If you were doing this at work, I'm 'friad I don't have much choice in the matter. I'm gonna have to let you go."

This wasn't happening. This really wasn't happening. _I'll wake up from this. _But it was happening. And her best friend just threw her under the bus.

Charlotte turned to Andie, her face a deep shade of red. "I can't believe you would do this." Her voice broke in strain. "We've been friends since we were kids, Andie. You know I need this job. Why can't you just tell the truth?"

"You're trying to pin this on me?" Andie had the nerve to act incredulous. "Wow, Char, you've hit a new low, haven't you?"

Mike was speechless. Charlotte looked between the two siblings in outrage before storming out of the office with tears spilling down her cheeks. The other employees gave her curious looks but none approached her.

When she stepped out into the sun, she started off on the sidewalk in haste to escape the humiliation and hurt when she stopped, suddenly. Where was there to go that she wouldn't go with Andie? They were roommates. They were best friends. They did everything together. Was this a misunderstanding? Was it truly not Andie's V? A rational inner voice within Charlotte disagreed with this. It _had_ to be Andie's V.

Pain throbbed in her heart. How could this happen? How could things suddenly get so screwed up? Barely a half hour ago had she and Andie been having their lunch coffee with one another. Now what? What would become of their friendship now?

Charlotte walked aimlessly around downtown Dallas for hours. She didn't want to go back to the apartment. She didn't have a place of work to go to anymore. She felt lost and numb. It was terrifying, to feel nothing at all. To block it all out.

It was only when her vision caught sight of the neon sign _Bites_ that she felt the pinch of anger. And more hurt. Checking her wallet, she discovered she still had her fake I.D. with her, though she rarely ever used it. Tonight, she needed a distraction.

Four shots later, she could feel thoughts swim through her head. Roaming, aimless thoughts. How did Andie get caught up in V of all things? What would compel her to do something so stupid? Why was Andie always doing stupid things? Was Charlotte capable of forgiving her for this? Did she even want to?

What, exactly, was going to change, now? Did she want things to change?

She didn't have a choice, she realized. Andie and Mike had made the choice for her. She lost her job, which was the only way she was putting herself through school. That hit her like a boulder. What was she going to do about school?

"Another?" the bartender asked. He was the same guy from the other night. He'd seen it all, she figured as she nodded her head. Maybe she could tend bars.

"What's your trouble, darlin'?" the man asked as he poured the drink. He threw a rag over his shoulder and leaned on his elbows, raising a curious eyebrow at her.

Charlotte felt the pang of hurt once more. "Lost my job," she said. _God_, she thought, _am I becoming one of _those_ people? The kind who use bars and alcohol as a means of therapy?_ She'd rather die.

"If you're lookin' for one, they're hiring new VIP servers," the man mused as he refreshed a couple's drinks. "Don't know if it's somethin' long term, but it's somethin'."

VIP servers. What exactly would that entail? Was she actually considering it?

An hour later, Charlotte knew all about what it meant to be a VIP server and had an application in hand in case she wanted to take up the offer. She walked out of the club, not caring to admit to herself that she was mostly stumbling, and stood on the sidewalk. Cool night air grazed her arms and legs. The moon was as shiny as a new dime up above, spilling beautiful light onto the already street-lit city.

Her phone buzzed. It was Mike. She was half-tempted to just ignore the call.

"Where are you, sugar?" He asked immediately, concern lacing his tone. "You haven't been picking up your phone."

Giving her phone's screen a cursory glance, Charlotte discovered five missed calls.

"I wasn't expecting to hear from anyone," she tried to say evenly, but the words mingled together.

Mike paused. "Have you been drinking?"

"No."

"Yes," he declared sadly. "And you left some stuff here. Where are you at? I'm gonna pick you up."

"Don't bother," she said with a hint of indignation. It may have been the alcohol that gave her the courage to talk to Mike like that—he'd always been something of an older brother to her—but she was still pissed. Rightfully so.

"Charlotte, now, don't be difficult—"

"Difficult? Seriously? God, you sound like Andie. I'll pick up my stuff tomorrow, Mikey. Bye."

She hung up with a sense of self-satisfaction. They deserved to know how unfair they were being. However, it occurred to her that she _did_ have to return home at some point, and she had left her keys to the apartment in her work locker.

Fucking great.

The security building was in view when she heard a loud _snap_ and felt her feet fall out from under her. Catching herself in the nick of time, she hopped on one foot and looked down at the heel dangling from her shoe. "You're fucking kidding me," she swore, kicking both shoes off and carrying them in one hand. She didn't bother to think the night couldn't get any worse. God knows that it could.

In a fit of frustration, Charlotte threw open the doors to the lobby and prepared to walk through when she nearly collided with someone else. She opened her mouth to swear again but clamped it shut upon realizing who her own personal train wreck could have been.

Godric.

_God mother honey fucker._ When would fate stop playing cruel tricks on her?

"Miss Charlotte," he said, and it was only just then that she realized he had a hand steadying her waist. She stepped back outside to remove it and watched silently as the vampire followed suit. He glanced down at the shoes in her hand and her bare feet, but said nothing.

"I broke a heel," she said dumbly. The words sounded stupid to her own ears. And slurred. Quite slurred.

"I see." His head was cocked in just the slightest way. She was beginning to realize this was either a look of confusion or curiosity. _Then_ she realized that it was weird to realize that. And she should through her fake I.D. away, too. "Rough night?"

_Well first I still lied to my friend about her basically getting bitten by a vampire at a bar coincidentally named Bites, then that exact same friend totally made me take the blame for her own V, her brother fired me from the only job I have to put myself through college, I feel really really dizzy from drinking so much, I'm standing outside talking to a vampire of all people, and I'm starting to forget why the hell I'm back here in the first place._

_"_You could say that."

There was a small pause. "I was hoping to run into you. Do you have a moment?"

Charlotte laughed without humor. All she really wanted to do was cry. "I've got all the time in the world."

He gave her that curiously-confused look again. "I would like to make amends for my associate's behavior," he said.

Shaking her head, Charlotte sighed. "Don't worry about it."

"But your friend—"

"Seriously," she insisted. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't even matter anymore."

His leaf-green eyes studied her as if she was clear as glass, yet dark as a cloud all at once. "I would insist, but I have a feeling it won't change matters. Are you no longer prepping for this particular security task?"

Charlotte blinked. "Huh?"

"Your friend and her brother were working on it," he explained.

"Oh." Charlotte frowned. She wished he'd stop saying _your friend._ "I got fired. They'll do a great job, though. They always do."

That being said, she moved to step around him towards the door. Her keys, she remembered. That's why she was back here. She needed her keys. Her hand was on the door handle when he spoke again, recalling her attention.

"Miss Charlotte?"

"Just Charlotte," she corrected automatically. He seemed to be thinking something over.

"Charlotte," he said with a small smile. "You've been working security for some time, yes?"

"Yes," she said slowly, not quite sure where this was leading.

"Have you much experience with anything besides prep work?"

Her forehead crinkled. "Yeah. Mike used to let us sit in on some low-grade jobs where we weren't really in danger. Why?"

"I find myself in need of someone particular to work at the nest," he explained. "It would be different than a simple security job, but I would need someone…" he paused to search for the right words. "Younger, less obvious, to do it."

Charlotte stared at him.

"As a way to make amends," he continued, his eyes glinting with slight amusement. "I would like to offer that job to you."

Charlotte opened her mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it once more. Here she was outside of her newly former employer's security company talking to a vampire whom is now said employ's new client, and he's offering her a job, a _lifeline_, to simply make amends for his colleagues brashness?

Hold the phone. Was fate just playing with her again?

When no asteroids fell on her head, she truly considered this. Godric was staring at her expectantly. She would have to work next to vampires. Before two nights ago, she hadn't ever encountered a vampire before. She would have to switch her days around and become nocturnal. She would have to change everything about her life.

Charlotte sucked in a deep breath. "Yes," she looked him right in the eyes. "Yes."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, Andie is a total backstabber. But they'll talk things out, too, and you'll see how it fits in the plot. And now there can definitely be some daily (okay, nightly) G/C moments coming up since she'll be working at the nest. Woo!**

**&& Thank you for the great reviews! You guys are probably as surprised as I am for this quick update. Something about this story is easier to write, though, especially when I have you guys keeping me focused. Keep up with the reviews and I'm certain I'll update soon, again! (:**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood.**

* * *

**Four**

Maybe it was the aftereffects of having drunk so much alcohol in one night, or maybe it was the prospect of treading into the unknown teeth first: Charlotte paced back and forth through the apartment she shared with Andie, her gaze flicking to the digital clock on the microwave every three seconds as she chewed her fingernails down to the quick.

It was four in the afternoon.

Godric wanted her to start tonight.

Andie had been beyond surprised when Charlotte returned home in the early hours of the morning the previous night, something so atypical of the prudent girl's usual routines. After accepting the job offer and grabbing her things from her old work locker, Charlotte couldn't sit still. She had to do something, and that meant she had to move her feet. Which now had blisters, thanks to her broken heels and her desire to stay as far away from the apartment for as long as possible.

Thankfully, Andie hadn't said a word when Charlotte returned home. She looked at her sadly, with a huge hunk of regret, but she hadn't said a single word. If she had, Charlotte was positive she would have hit her. Or worse. Probably worse. It probably would have turned into a full-blown UFC match right there in the kitchenette.

Anxious thoughts about her friend in question did nothing to mitigate the new set of nerves crawling through Charlotte's veins. She had slept most of the day and was now fully alert, but it was strange to expect to not sleep until the _next_ _day_. It was definitely something to get used to.

As she paced, she thought over what little vague information Godric had divulged about this job to her. He said it had to be someone younger and less obvious. It was for security purposes. What exactly did he need someone younger and, quite frankly, less experienced for? What did he need special security for in the first place?

It wasn't as if Godric was actually hiring humans for security—no, the men and women that worked the supernatural jobs were supes themselves—shifters of some sort, werewolves, or vampires themselves. Charlotte had never met any of them, of course; she had only sat in on low-grade jobs in which humans had been hired for. The supes all had a clearance level beyond what she could have ever hoped to gain by simply prepping things.

It only just dawned on her that she could possibly be surpassing Andie in terms of clearance, and, well, everything else. Oh, how sweet such revenge tasted. But Charlotte wasn't the vindictive type. No, she wouldn't be bitter about anything. She was better than that. (Or so she liked to think.)

When she stopped her frantic pacing, the silence of the apartment hit Charlotte like a wall. It was never quiet in here. Never. Andie was usually talking on the phone, playing music, watching TV—_something_ was always going on. Or they'd be doing something together. It was just so different from the norm that Charlotte had to stop and ponder it for a minute.

Then she remembered the V.

Did Andie keep her stash here? Would Mike believe Charlotte if she showed him, or would it just make things worse? What would Andie do with a direct confrontation about it? As much as she felt deep betrayal from her friend, Charlotte still worried. Not only was V some serious stuff, but she'd heard all kinds of horror stories about what happened to people once vampires found out they were buying it.

Shit.

But there would have to be time to think about that later. Charlotte had much to do and more important things to worry about—like what the hell was she supposed to bring for her first day on the job?

Three hours later, as dusk was settling in the east and the last rays of the sun glimmered against the far windows, Charlotte had finished loading most of the equipment she had acquired for years of working at a security company into a duffel bag. Godric hadn't given her an exact time when to arrive, but she was assuming right at nightfall. A taxi would take her to the address he'd given her.

Those new-job-new-life-new-experience nerves returned in an overwhelming flurry.

It was going to be an interesting night, that's for sure.

The taxi driver hadn't said much on the ride, though he did eye her warily. Some gears and gizmos in the duffel bag sitting on the seat next to Charlotte rattled, and she guessed this was his source of apprehension. Who knew what kind of people you'd run into nowadays? Surely he'd had his fair share of surprises.

Charlotte was slightly taken off guard when they arrived at the specified address. She wondered, for a moment, if Godric had given her the wrong one. The house she was parked in front of was quite normal—modest-sized, modern, clean, and lively. Lights from inside the house spilled in a golden glow outside; through various small windows, Charlotte caught glimpses of people moving about. It seemed quite busy, actually.

If she was being honest, she had been expecting some massive grandiose mansion that was gated and everything—from what little she had heard, that was how many vampires (well, Kings and Queens) lived.

This was totally unexpected.

The taxi driver gave a prompting cough to dispel the wonder that had fallen over Charlotte. She snapped back and returned to herself, snatching some money out of her wallet and handing it to the driver as she grabbed her bag and stepped out.

The night was graciously cool. It mitigated the nervous blush that crept onto her face as she headed towards the house. When she was stepping up to the front door, it swung open, revealing the nameless woman that had accompanied Godric and Stan the other night.

The woman blinked, taken aback, before straightening. "Charlotte, I presume?"

Charlotte returned the display of confusion. "Yes. It's nice to meet you." She held out her hand. The woman stared at it blankly for a moment before smiling kindly and accepting it. Charlotte couldn't help but notice how very tender she was with touch.

"I'm Isabelle, Godric's second. I was just on my way to run an errand, but you can come in. They've been awaiting your arrival." Isabelle stepped back to allow Charlotte passage, furtively studying the girl as she did.

Charlotte wringed her fingers together. Had she kept them waiting long? Way to make a good first impression, she thought to herself wryly.

"This way," Isabelle said, gesturing for Charlotte to follow.

They threaded through cliques of people amassed into one main room for entertainment purposes. The people—other vampires, Charlotte realized—gave her long stares as she passed. Some looked inclined to open her up like a bottle of champagne.

"You will not be harmed," Isabelle said reassuringly upon noticing Charlotte's look of unease. "So long as you are in our presence, you belong to someone here. They must have respect for that."

Charlotte didn't feel very comforted by that fact. She cast a wary glance over her shoulder as she trailed Isabelle into a back room, empty of the commoners. Isabelle slipped away again, and the doors were shut behind her.

The first person Charlotte recognized was Godric. It was hard not to have her attention pulled to him—he was seated in a sleek black chair, quiet and pensive, yet there seemed to be some sort of magnetic force that pulled her eyes to him. His own were thoughtful as they looked back, and Charlotte could feel her nerves spike again.

Then she saw Stan. Nausea did not cover the way she felt. _I'm going to be working with him_, she thought incredulously. The idea had never once occurred to her, and it would have perhaps deterred her otherwise unopposed agreement to the job. His eyes were dark and hungry—a look he seemed to wear constantly. Though he smirked broadly, he said nothing. Charlotte wondered if Godric had instructed as much.

Three others stood in the room, unrecognizable to Charlotte. One a very tall and handsome fair-haired man with an attractive build yet hard eyes. His gaze flicked over Charlotte almost carelessly, with a sense of coldness, before returning to Godric. Beside him stood a fair-haired woman. There was a small gap between her teeth—somehow it suited her—and a kind smile on her face. She was deeply tanned and done up cute as a bow. To her right stood a rather stern looking man with eyes just as hard as the other, but hair much darker.

Godric stood. He was still looking at Charlotte thoughtfully. "I am glad you decided to come."

"I told you I would." Charlotte glanced back at him, finding more comfort for her anxiety in the sincere gentility of his eyes rather than his more imprudent associates.

"You did," he seemed to praise. "You've already met Isabelle and Stan." Stan muttered something too low for Charlotte to pick up on, but she didn't miss the disparaging look Godric threw at him. "You will also be seeing much of Eric, Miss Stackhouse, and Mr. Compton," he introduced the others respectively.

Charlotte received a flashing smile from Sookie that set her more at ease, though the other two made no gesture.

"This was your choice of a human?" Eric balked with a quirked eyebrow. His eyes narrowed on Charlotte. "She's… small."

"Eric," Godric scolded. He returned to Charlotte. "I am pleased you will be joining us. Please, sit."

Charlotte sat down on the couch across from Godric's chair, settling her duffle bag on the floor beside her. Almost as if sensing Charlotte's discomfort, Sookie seated herself beside the younger girl and gave an encouraging smile.

"You are probably wondering what exactly it is you are doing here," Godric began. His voice was soft, much like his looks. Charlotte marveled at his vampiric nature. It hardly seemed to show through, other than in his strange accent and mannerisms. There was something in his eyes, too—something beyond age and time. "We've hired your friend's security company for various reasons. However, it does not cover all that we fear we are presented with."

Charlotte's forehead creased at his choice of words. Fear?

"You may have heard some about the politics of vampires, I would guess."

She nodded.

"Then you understand that our governments are very different than yours. We have one main Authority, yet several different kingdoms. As of late, there have been… disturbances between kingdoms." Tension seemed to grow in the air almost suddenly. Charlotte felt a very keen sense of awe; it was not every day one heard of the tales of other societies, especially one deemed so very secretive with its inner workings. She grasped onto the fact that she was about to hear just that.

How could they possibly know they could trust her?

"That's where I come in."

Charlotte was startled when the girl beside her, Sookie, spoke up with a shy smile. Had she spoken aloud?

"You didn't," Sookie assured her. "I can hear you."

Charlotte gawked. "You mean… my thoughts?"

Sookie nodded, and if Charlotte was guessing correctly, she seemed a little uncomfortable. "I am, actually. I don't usually tell people about this."

_I don't blame you, _Charlotte thought. Sookie sighed in turn.

"I'm assigned to watch over the supes," Sookie continued. "And you. Just to make sure, of course."

Charlotte nodded. It made sense. Having a telepath would certainly make things like betrayal and double-crossing less of a chance. She felt a sting of pain in her heart at the reminder. Sookie gave her a worried look, but Charlotte's eyes quickly returned to Godric.

"So what do you need me for?"

"That… is a much different situation," Godric explained. He seemed hesitant. "Before I continue, I would like to make it known that this will not be a safe job, Miss Charlotte."

"Just Charlotte," she corrected automatically again, then blushed. "Working for a security company wasn't exactly like baking cakes, either."

Godric nodded. "You will, of course, be under my protection, but for obvious reasons, I can't make any promises about what the daytime will bring you."

Charlotte glanced at her bag. "Then it's a good thing I'm prepared."

A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at Godric's lips. "Are you very good at lying, Charlotte?"

This was quite the unexpected question. "No," she said honestly. "Not even a little."

Eric snorted off to the side, Stan looked extremely dubious, Sookie's face tightened in worry, yet Godric seemed hardly affected.

"Well," he said, and there was a tiny glint in his eyes. "Then we will have to teach you."

This would be interesting, she thought. What kind of job would he want her to do that could possibly involve lying?

* * *

**I love all of you who are reviewing—you're really keeping my updates faster than what I've ever done before. I would typically wait over a week, but I can hardly keep myself from waiting for much more than a day. Keep it up! We'll find out what it is exactly that Godric wants her to do next chapter. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood.**

* * *

**Five**

"I'm certain you noticed the number of vampires present tonight," Godric said.

_It's hard to miss_. Beside Charlotte, Sookie suppressed a smile.

"Unfortunately Miss Stackhouse's rare ability does not extend to vampires," he explained. "In order to predict future disturbances within the kingdom, we need someone else, who is less obvious, to listen and gather information."

Charlotte opened her mouth and then closed it, processing what Godric meant. That's what he wanted her to do. Go undercover amongst _vampires_. Oh hell, he had totally meant it when he said it was a risky job.

Seemingly catching on to her apprehension over this, Godric spoke up quietly. "You are in no way obligated to accept this, Charlotte. I do not wish to put you in harm's way. It's merely an offer that you may reject."

But what else could she do? Where else could she go? Andie had stabbed her in the back. She lost her best friend, and with that, she had lost whatever normalcy she had in that life. Andie had been her rock, for the most part. She had been family—the _only_ family Charlotte had left. Now there was nothing but the prospect of starting over. She couldn't possibly forgive Andie for what she did—not _now_, at least. She just needed something new to focus on. She needed to figure out who she was without her friend.

Sookie placed a comforting hand on Charlotte's knee, surprising the younger girl. It would take some getting used to, having a telepath privy to her every thought.

"Sorry," Sookie said with a rueful smile. "I usually block it out."

Charlotte nodded pensively, glancing back over at the other vampires in the room. They seemed less than thrilled at her presence. So what did Godric possibly see in her that they couldn't? Was this worth the risk?

More than anything, Charlotte just wanted some independence. She wanted to feel different, to feel like she could look after herself without depending on anyone.

She met Godric's green eyes once more, her own resolute yet anxious. "Okay," she said. "I'll do it."

* * *

Charlotte stared at Sookie, waiting with hesitance for the blonde telepath to break out in giggles. When she didn't, the younger woman grew worried.

"This is a joke, right?"

Sookie glanced down at the hangers in her hand skeptically. "I didn't think they were that bad."

The clothes that dangled from the hangers could hardly be deemed as _clothes, _they were so skimpy and revealing. Charlotte wanted to scoff. "I'm gonna look like a cheap hooker. Of _course_ they're that bad."

"I'm sure we can find something else." Sookie walked back to Isabelle's closet and pawed through the other garments curiously. The dark-haired vampire had returned to the nest shortly after Godric had explained what Charlotte would be tasked with. She stood in the center of the room with a look of amusement sketched on her features.

Charlotte sat on the edge of the bed, feeling more and more out of place. The fact that she was expected to lie to vampires and get close to them was still sinking in. The realization was probably stunted by the fact that Eric recommended that she look more like a 'groupie', or the 'fang bangers' that were typical companions of the city-dwelling vampires. They hadn't yet decided who's companion she would be; Charlotte dearly hoped it wouldn't be Stan.

What the hell did she get herself into?

"What about this?" Sookie asked, holding out what appeared to be a skin-tight black dress and platform heels. Considering the way some of the vampires were dressed, Charlotte didn't think it would look all that out of the ordinary. Still, she didn't relish the fact that she would look like a prostitute.

Sookie sighed. "Don't think about that. Are the shoes too much?"

"I doubt I could walk in them without killing myself," Charlotte said.

Isabelle tapped her chin. "I think I know what you would like." Sookie stepped aside as the vampire crossed the room and searched the closet. She pulled out a cute black leather jacket, short black boots, a t-shirt, and a mini-skirt, holding them up for inspection. "The jacket will cover your neck. No one will see that you haven't been fed on."

Charlotte hadn't even considered that detail. This outfit won out by far when compared to the others. It wasn't overly slutty, it had a little bit of an edge to it that most vampire companions seemed to have, and it would cover more than anything else.

Sookie grinned. "I think we have a winner."

Leaving Charlotte alone to change clothes, the other two women waited outside patiently. When she emerged from the room she earned praising looks.

"It suits you well," Isabelle commented with a smile.

Charlotte felt totally naked with so much of her legs exposed. Wouldn't she stick out like a sore thumb if she didn't even feel comfortable in her own skin?

"It's okay," Sookie said. "You'll get used to it. Just focus on who you're with and not what you're wearing."

"That's gonna be hard to do when who I'm with is _totally_ focusing on what I'm wearing," Charlotte grumbled under her breath, but made no protest as she was pulled back inside what appeared to be Godric's meeting room.

Charlotte was grateful to find that Godric's eyes didn't leave her face. There was something about him that made her blush, though. He was just so _above_ being with someone dressed as she was. Or so he seemed, at least.

Stan flashed her a wicked grin while Eric looked her over appreciatively.

"Now I see why you picked her," he said to his maker with a suggestive quirk of an eyebrow.

Godric ignored this comment, opting for his usual inexpressiveness. "To integrate you more successfully with less of a risk, you will be under Eric's protection."

Eric smiled at her. "Lucky me. You smell like my favorite blood type."

Charlotte could feel the color drain from her face. Oh God. So she was _Eric's_ 'companion.' Well, it was just a step up from Stan. Sort of.

Taking her arm almost possessively, Eric led her to the door leading out to the gathering place of vampires. "All right," he said. "Let's go make some friends, shall we?"

* * *

Two weeks later, Charlotte still felt incredibly uncomfortable with the amount of skin she was showing nightly. It was all she could to repress shudders every time a vampire eyed her. Eric didn't make matters any better. He often implied they had a rather kinky sex life, much to Charlotte's mortification.

"If you could take your eyes off my maker for three seconds, I believe you would look more like _my_ human companion," Eric grumbled next to her with a roll of his eyes.

Charlotte barely heard him. There was something about Godric that was so different than anyone else Charlotte had ever known. She often studied the way he interacted with his kind every night—it was the most curious thing. She learned much about him in the first week—he was two thousand years old, Eric had told her. Those two thousand years had poisoned his mind, apparently, slowly warping his vampiric nature into what it now was. Charlotte was beginning to understand the look in his eyes that was older than age and time. It was sadness and disappointment, grievance and despair. She had never seen a vampire look so _ashamed_ of the company he kept.

She couldn't imagine all he had experienced in two thousand years.

There was a meager sort of comfort she got out of focusing on Godric rather than the more savage of his kind. Though her nightly ritual often consisted of her slowly gaining the reputation of a simple air-headed fang banger, she remained intrigued by Godric. He had a calming effect on her.

Charlotte finally blinked away her attention on him, refocusing her gaze on Eric, who was looking at her dubiously.

"What?"

Eric's eyes narrowed. "You're not very convincing, you do realize."

"What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes again. "If you're trying to be my _companion_, then perhaps you should act as such. This plan will take years instead of weeks, otherwise." He let her mull this over while he crossed the room to Bill and Sookie.

Charlotte stared after him. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She had been hot and cold with him for the entirety of the two weeks, and she knew it. There were times when she felt more confident about this task and she tried to play it up a little more. Yet she still felt strange around Eric, totally uncomfortable. He didn't seem to mind putting his hands on her in front of others, whereas she felt totally out of her element. Eric was a thousand years old, after all, and had a vast amount of experience with this sort of thing. She, on the other hand, had very little.

Why did Godric offer her this job, again?

Charlotte met his eyes across the room. They were hard to read, as usual, but she could see a deep sort of withheld sadness in them that always seemed to weigh him down.

It reminded her that she had a task to fulfill.

With a silent sigh, Charlotte headed towards Eric purposefully. She was beginning to understand exactly what vampires and their companions did together. Although it was illegal for vampires to feed on humans, they continued to do it. Charlotte had often seen a human moaning in delight somewhere in the corner as they were feasted on.

Time to step things up, then.

Eric raised an eyebrow when he saw her approaching. Two other vampires stood beside him, watching curiously. If Charlotte remembered correctly, it was the Amazonian named Sasha and a Norwegian, Dag. Both were people of interest suspected to be moles for Russell Edgington, the vampire King causing the most uproar.

"Eric," Charlotte purred his name. He masked his surprise well. "You look hungry."

A slow smirk appeared on his face. "Incredibly," he said, taking her hand and pulling her close to his body. He ran his fingers over her jaw and down to her neck, just barely grazing the skin with a sensuous look. Charlotte shivered at his touch, the way he seemed to be all sex all the time. Then, without further hesitation, he used his thumb to tilt her chin and sunk his fangs into her neck.

Charlotte went rigid with shock. Of course she had anticipated this, but the pain was excruciating. He hadn't asked for permission because it would have looked too suspicious, but now Charlotte wished she hadn't taken them so far.

Eric ran a hand down her body until it rested at her hip. "Relax," he purred in her ear. In an attempt to take this advice, Charlotte tried to lessen the tension in her body.

The pain quickly converted into pleasure at the change. Eyelids fluttering shut, she steadied herself by holding onto his forearms tightly, keeping herself infinitely closer to him. The vague idea that this was _Eric_ of all vampires tried to prod through her euphoria to no avail. That was, until his lips pulled away from her skin.

Charlotte hadn't realized how heavily she was breathing. Sasha and Dag only spared her briefly amused looks before returning to their conversation. Blood stained Eric's lips; he retracted his fangs as Charlotte looked up at him with a blush.

"Yes," he said decisively. "Definitely my favorite blood type."

Eric's head turned at something Charlotte couldn't hear. She shifted to follow his gaze only to find that Godric was watching them. There was a strange expression on his face. Charlotte wondered if maybe she was finally doing her job right, or if she had taken things too far.

When she looked back at Sasha and Dag, she found the two vampires throwing her interested looks. They caught her eye and smiled.

_Yes_, she thought. _I must be doing something right._

* * *

**A/N: I realize there might be a lot of mistakes in my chapters, but that's to be expected given the time I write this. I'm sorry if this bothers you, but I haven't gotten any complaints so far! **

**As always, I love you guys! You help me update this quickly and keep the story moving. (-:**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do now own True Blood.**

* * *

**Six**

Dawn was nearing the horizon. Godric stood just inside the doorway of the house, watching the dark sky slowly lighten to pastels.

"It isn't wise to drink from her like that," he said upon hearing his progeny enter the room behind him.

Eric raised an eyebrow, quite aware that Godric was referring to Charlotte. "How else do you suggest we make her appear as my companion?"

Godric turned to face the fair-haired vampire, grim-faced. "This is very risky, Eric. I will not put a human at risk more than I must."

Eric snorted. "It seems to me like it's less about the risks and more about the girl, herself."

The elder vampire stared a moment before moving past him, towards his bedroom. "Just be careful. She is not under our protection during the day."

Eric didn't turn around. "Things will only grow more dangerous. What happens then, Godric?"

Only silence was Eric's answer as his maker left the room.

* * *

Charlotte slept most of the day, now. It had been a hard schedule to get used to, but she found that black-out curtains certainly helped.

And she no longer had to run in to Andie during the day.

To say she was avoiding her roommate was incorrect; to avoid someone, one had to go out of their way in order to not see them. Charlotte was lucky enough they had such differing schedules that there was hardly any chance to see each other; and although they were working the same job, technically, for security, they never saw one another. Things were awkward at best and chokingly tense at worst.

Then there was all this vampire business on top of that. She couldn't really complain about it; not when she had willingly inserted herself into the situation. Godric had given her a choice to reject the offer. For some reason, the thought still wasn't appealing. Charlotte was getting to know Sookie and Isabelle better, and they were proving to be better friends than she could have hoped to find. Bill was slightly aloof, only ever engrossed in topics regarding Sookie, which was sweet on some levels. Stan was still an asshole, but hadn't yet made any move to harm Charlotte. Eric... Well, Eric was something, indeed. For the past two weeks she had to spend the majority of her time around him, talking to him, listening to him—there was definitely more to him than he let on. He often tried to be sarcastic and cold, but Charlotte caught glimpses of the Eric Northman he didn't want others to see. He loved his maker with all his heart, which was why he wanted her to focus on her job better. Yes, Eric was a very complex creature.

Something clanked to the ground outside of Charlotte's bedroom just then, breaking her reverie. With a groan, she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face into her pillow. Was Andie back early?

There was a light knock at the bedroom door.

Shit.

"Char?" Andie peeped open the door, almost timidly looking inside. She had to squint into the darkness, which was a stark difference to the otherwise brightly lit apartment. "Are you in here?"

Charlotte scowled into her pillow. "What do you want?" Her words came out muffled and distant.

Andie frowned. Her hand wavered on the doorknob a moment before she pushed it open completely and stepped inside. "It's almost five in the afternoon. Have you eaten yet?"

"No," Charlotte said simply. She really wanted to say 'Get the fuck out of my room.'

"Can I make you something? I can put some coffee on if you want."

Picking her head up from the pillow, Charlotte looked at her old friend with incensed incredulity. "Seriously, Andie? This is the first time you've spoken to me in two weeks. What do you really want?"

There was a pregnant pause before Andie spoke again. "I want to tell you how sorry I am," she said quietly. "I—I shouldn't have done what I did. I'm so sorry Char. I'm so, so sorry."

Charlotte simply stared back at the maple-haired girl, her lips pressed together. "Andie," she said. "Just get out."

Andie opened her mouth to protest; thinking better of it, she nodded and slowly closed the door.

Cursing under her breath, Charlotte rolled out of bed and mussed up her hair with a sigh. She only had a few hours before going back to Godric's tonight, and she had some shopping to do. After taking a quick shower and grabbing a granola bar, she headed out of the apartment, towards downtown.

When she passed a sign reading _WE SELL TRUBLOOD_, she stopped contemplatively before stepping into the store and picking up a pack of AB-.

Two hours later, she was watching the disgust on Eric's face with a smirk.

"How thoughtful of you," he said sarcastically.

"Just wanted you to know I'm not your personal drinking fountain," Charlotte grinned.

It was Eric's turn to smirk. "Then, pray tell, what was that little act last night?"

Her smile was easily replaced with a glare. "That was part of the job."

"Right." Eric reached out and touched the side of her face gently, watching victoriously as a blush burned in her cheeks. He bent down and placed his mouth next to her ear, his breath tickling. "I certainly look forward to tonight, darling."

Charlotte didn't realize it until then, but Godric was standing in the doorway. "Eric. May I have a word?"

Eric looked entirely amused, something Charlotte didn't quite understand. "Of course, master." He threw a mirth-filled look over his shoulder as he followed Godric out of the room.

"Is Eric bothering you?"

It was Sookie. The curvy blonde donned a yellow sundress and a pair of flats. She looked totally out of place in the crisp and immaculate room. There was something unreadable in her expression.

"No," Charlotte said, glancing at the empty doorway Eric had just exited through. "He can be a pain in the ass, but he's just trying to come off that way."

Sookie tilter her head just the slightest. "You're a better person than I am if you can really give _him_ the benefit of the doubt."

Charlotte laughed. "It's complicated, I guess. I don't think he's all bad."

For a moment, Sookie grew worried. "He hasn't exchanged blood with you, has he?"

"What do you mean 'exchange blood'?"

"If a vampire drinks your blood and you drink his, it creates a sort of blood-bond. It would make you… more _attracted_ to him…"

"We do _not_ have a blood-bond," Charlotte assured the other girl. "Not unless he drugged me and forced me to drink his blood. Which, now that I think about it, I don't really doubt…"

Sookie smiled. "You still think he's not all that bad?"

"She thinks I'm charming," the devil himself said as he strode back into the room. "Isn't that right, Charlotte?"

Charlotte gave a wry smile. "And sexy."

"You see?" He directed to Sookie. "Women love me."

"Women love your body, not _you_ you," Sookie rolled her eyes.

Eric grinned wolfishly. "What are you saying about my body, Sookie?"

At the helpless look that crossed Sookie's face, Charlotte stifled a giggle. Then Bill entered the room, gaunt-faced and rigid, and the air froze over with tension. Slipping out of the room to leave the three to their own devices, Charlotte went into the kitchen. Through the small square window giving a view of the landscaped backyard, she was surprised to find Godric with his back to her, his head crooked up as if gazing upon the stars, shining like a backdrop of glitter.

She wasn't sure what compelled her to do so, but her feet were taking her towards him before she could think about it.

His eyes met hers immediately, though remained reserved as usual. They flicked down to the two puncture marks just under her jaw. There was something tense in his stance.

"Perhaps this task will have more consequences than I realized," he said strangely.

Charlotte's eyebrows furrowed. "What exactly am I supposed to be looking for, anyway?" She knew she had been taking risks for some time now, but she had never thought to question _why_. Something about the vampire standing before her was just so _trusting_. Besides, she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially when it was her very lifeline she now heavily relied on.

Godric's chest rose and fell with a silent sigh, his gaze returning to the landscape before him, looking every bit like he was seeking an answer from the heavens themselves. "Things remain uncertain for even those more privy to the disturbances occurring. I fear we will not know what to be wary of until something terribly significant happens."

Charlotte chewed over this. "Maybe we aren't looking in all the right places," she said finally. "Maybe it's not other vampires you should be most concerned about. I mean, there's got to be a reason these… _disturbances_… are occurring, right?

The vampire's thoughts turned inward for a moment, before turning to his companion pensively. "Such as our supernatural counterparts." Charlotte stared at him blankly, unsure of his deeper meaning. "Tension has been rising between different communities who feel threatened by supernatural exposure," he explained. "It has been increasing ever since our existence was revealed." He frowned. "That does not include the various hate groups that have surfaced."

Like the Fellowship of the Sun, Charlotte thought grimly. No wonder Godric often looked so ashamed of his kind. They were striving to be accepted, but people like Reverend Steve Newlin were throwing their animalistic nature back in their faces, as if humans weren't exactly the same. How could someone like Godric ever be accepted when others like Stan still existed and destroyed whatever advances could possibly be made in human-vampire society?

"How can you not see it?" Charlotte asked suddenly, her eyes bright and keen. "You've lived for over two-thousand years—so how can you not see it?"

Godric looked terribly confused. "I do not understand what you mean."

"Humans," she said, "are hardly any different than vampires. We have hate groups, too. We have terrorists and murderers and rapists. Just because we're _human_ doesn't mean we're any better. It's shouldn't be an excuse for what we do. We're expected to mess up all the time and we do. So why isn't it the same for you?"

"We are predators," Godric said quietly. "It is different."

"We're predators, too," she insisted. "It's not so different. There are vampires who have a darker nature, and then there are vampires like you. I may not know you that well, but I know that much. You're not any different than us. We just tell ourselves that you are because we're afraid to admit what _we're_ capable of, too."

Godric was deathly silent. Charlotte clamped her mouth shut quickly, worrying she had been too outspoken than was wise. He was her boss, after all. He studied her for several moments, like she was a hieroglyph he was trying to decipher.

Before he could say anything, Eric's large frame cast a shadow from the doorway, signaling his presence. He gave Godric an unreadable look.

"Charlotte," he said. "Come. There is something we must speak with you about."

Sparing another glance at Godric, Charlotte silently obeyed. The ancient vampire followed her inside, and if Charlotte hadn't known any better, she would think he was standing a little closer than was necessary.

Sookie, Bill, Stan, and Isabelle waited in an empty living room. Charlotte knew immediately that something was wrong. No one would look her in the eye.

"What's going on?" She asked once the silence had suffocated her.

Sookie looked worrisome. She exchanged looks with Bill, who squeezed her hand lightly. She let out a shaky breath.

"Charlotte," Sookie started carefully. "It's about your friend—Andie."

Charlotte's stomach dropped to her toes.

* * *

**A/N: You guys are awesome! Look, two updates in 24 hours, thanks to you! Keep up the reviews and I can keep up with some fast updates! There will be an increase of Godric/Charlotte coming up. I just had to set up this plot for future purposes. Tell me what you think and let me know if there's anything you would like to read! (-:**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood.**

* * *

**Seven**

"I don't understand," Charlotte said slowly, her eyes slightly unfocused as thoughts flew through her head chaotically. "What do you mean she's _missing_?"

Sookie bowed her head apologetically. Bill spoke up. "I just got off the phone with her brother. When they started keeping a security detail last week, he assigned her to the day shift, thinking she could earn more experience when things were less risky. Unfortunately…" Bill sighed. "It seems she never showed up, today."

Charlotte shook her head fervently. "No, that's not possible. I _saw_ her today. I saw her just before five. She looked totally fine." Pulling out her cell phone, she speed-dialed Andie's number. She hadn't called the number it what felt like ages. The phone rang twice before there was a dial tone; a monotone female voice said, "The number you have dialed has been disconnected." Charlotte pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it as if she could see straight through to the other side. Panic made her heartbeat flutter.

Godric, of course, could hear this internal shift. He put a hand on Charlotte's wrist, effectively calming her to some extent. "Did you speak with her today?"

The memories from earlier that day felt like a slap in the face. Charlotte nodded numbly. "Yeah..." She blinked. "She… she tried apologizing…" It should have occurred to her, first thing, that it wasn't in Andie's nature to apologize. Ever. "I have to go," she said quickly, stepping out of Godric's touch and effectively earning his worry. "I'm sorry—I just—I have to go."

Sookie stared after the frantically retreating girl a moment, sorting through her thoughts as quickly and rationally as she could. The most she could make out was a vial of red liquid—V—which made Sookie even more concerned. Why was Charlotte thinking about V? What could it have to do with her friend's disappearance?

"I'm going with her," Sookie said to no one in particular before dashing off after her new friend.

Charlotte hadn't protested when Sookie yielded them a taxi and joined her. She was too lost in all the _what ifs_ to even register another presence. Only when the taxi pulled up to the apartment complex did she pause and consider the possibly consequences of bringing Sookie in, but it was decidedly too late and too unimportant to mull over that at the moment.

As she was scuffling up the stairwell, she called Mike. He answered on the first ring. "Charlo—"

"Where are you?" She demanded, feeling the panic bubble up inside her. Andie. Andie was missing. Screw the fact that Andie had betrayed her—over five years of friendship meant more than that. Charlotte could think about all the horrible things she still wanted to say to her friend when she was well and _safe_.

"Right here," Mike said, and Charlotte realized that she could hear his voice superimposed over itself, just down the hallway. With Sookie rushing to keep up with her, she half-sprinted to her apartment door to find Mike waiting inside. He snapped his phone shut.

"When did you last see her?" Charlotte asked as she looked around the apartment anxiously, hoping it was all just some elaborate joke Andie was playing on her and she would appear.

Mike looked resigned. "Last night. She went off with some guy she met—you know, typical Andie." He ran his fingers through his short hair. "She just… she never called. Didn't show up for work today. Nothin'."

Charlotte's head snapped back to Mike so quickly it hurt. "_What?_ You_ let_ her leave with some guy she doesn't even know?"

"Char, she isn't as reckless as you seem to think. She doesn't stay the night and always checks in with me—"

"Yeah," Charlotte cut him off mordantly. "Until something _happens_, and she _can't_ check in!"

"All right, all right!" Sookie spoke up, but her gaze was fixed on Mike with a glint of suspicion. "Fighting won't get you anywhere. Telling the truth will, though." With that, Sookie gave Mike a pointed look.

Mike staggered in surprise. "How the _hell_—"

"He's thinking about V, too," Sookie informed Charlotte. "I guess he found out the truth about your friend. She does V. Not you." She looked at Charlotte sadly. "That's why you had to get a new job."

If there were other circumstances, Charlotte might be a little angry. In fact she would be furious at the reminder. But now wasn't the time, she told herself. Later.

Mike was staring at Sookie like she had just broken out of a nut-house and confessed to the world she was a leprechaun.

"I'll explain later," Charlotte said to Mike. "First, you tell me what you know about Andie."

His face folded; the worry lines that had appeared after his father's death crinkled on his otherwise smooth forehead. There was deep regret and sadness in his eyes. "Char, I'm so sorry. I didn't know—I mean, I didn't realize—"he stopped and sucked in a breath. "I only just found out. Caught 'er taking some of that shit a few days ago. _V_," he spat the name of the drug like the vile thing it turned people into. "An' that ain't all."

Closing her eyes, Charlotte tried to hold onto her composure. She had assumed Andie's didn't only have a problem with V. Something else had to be going on, too, to make her decide to do something so stupid.

"What else is there?" She asked with baited breath.

Mike couldn't even look her in the eyes. He stared holes at his feet. "Vampires," he said simply. "She's been goin' round with vampires."

Charlotte would be a hypocrite to think poorly of Andie for this, but she had a strong feeling that Mike wasn't talking about vampires like Godric. More likely, he was talking about vampires like Stan—sick, twisted bastards.

Sookie shook her head sadly. "I'm gonna call Bill and see what he can do. Maybe Godric and Eric would know where to look if she's with a vamp."

As Charlotte nodded, Mike buried his face in his hands despairingly, too ashamed to accept any comfort.

When Sookie got off the phone, she looked impossibly grimmer. "That was Eric. Godric thinks we should go back to the nest and sort this out. And… he mentioned something about a club downtown. It's called—"

"_Bites_," Charlotte finished for Sookie, biting her lip. "God dammit, Andie!"

"You've been?"

"Unfortunately," Charlotte sighed. "That's how I met Stan. And Godric."

Mike looked confused. "I thought you said he was a friend of Lily's?"

"Long story," was all Charlotte offered. She paused, then, suddenly dubious. "Sook… If Godric and Eric find out about Andie doing V, what do you think they'll do to her?"

The look on Sookie's face made Charlotte's heart sink. "I don't know."

The trio spent several hours looking around downtown for any signs of Andie at her usual hangouts, but came up empty-handed. When midnight rolled around, Charlotte and Sookie resigned themselves to returning to the nest as Godric had wanted them too, with an uncertain Mike in tow.

The house was unusually empty, considering Godric tended to have guests from all over the area there every night. He was waiting inside when Charlotte entered.

"No luck?" He asked, though his expression said he already knew the answer. When all Charlotte did was stare pensively at the ground, he nodded, catching her attention. "I think we should talk," he said to her.

This piqued her interest. There hadn't been many times when she spoke to Godric one-on-one; rarely did something so important occur that she must. She followed him outside to the exact spot they had been talking earlier.

Godric appeared slightly uncomfortable. "Are you aware if your friend had any… drug problems?"

Squeezing her eyes shut tight, Charlotte tried to quell the nervous flurry of emotions reeling through her heart. Oh God, he knows about the V. He probably won't look for her now. Christ, what has she gotten herself into?

"Yes," Charlotte admitted quietly, not daring to look into those light-green eyes.

He paused. "When we met, you were with her at _Bites_, yes?"

She nodded.

"Eric has a close contact in the club," Godric said slowly, as if coming to terms with what he was saying, himself. "There has been issues with… _bleeding_, there. I think we must consider the possibility that your friend could be involved, and this has led to her sudden disappearance."

"Bleeding," Charlotte repeated. "You mean… _draining_ a vampire? For their blood?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Why would you think Andie would be involved with something like _that_? You don't even know her!"

Godric frowned. "I do not mean to upset you, Charlotte. I am making no judgments on your friend's character. I simply think it is a possibility that must be explored."

Charlotte didn't want to believe what she was hearing. "But _why?_"

"Because," Eric said from behind her. "She was last seen there last night. With a vampire from the Underground." He looked sternly at Godric while he said this, communicating without words whatever grave things this implied.

Godric closed his eyes in attempt to hide his reaction. "You are certain of this?"

"Quite," Eric said. "It was just confirmed."

"What does that mean?" Charlotte looked between the two. "What's the Underground?"

"It's suspected to be a league of rogue vampires," Eric said unhappily. "Ran by some of the oldest vampires in existence. Also known as the Sanguinista Movement."

This made no sense. "What would vampires be doing draining their own kind?"

Eric's eyes narrowed at the thought. "Something they've been trying to do for years. Build an army of humans and supes that are supplied with V."

Charlotte's jaw fell open.

Oh _shit_.

* * *

Godric placed a hot cup of coffee down on the table, glancing worriedly at the girl with her face buried in her hands next to it.

Charlotte sat in the living room; aside from the ancient vampire's company, she was otherwise alone. Eric had gone to a secret meeting with whoever his contact was at _Bites_; Isabelle took Mike back into the city, acting as a guard in case anyone went after him, too; Stan was nowhere to be seen, and Sookie and Bill went to the hotel Carmilla. Charlotte had been forced to stay at Godric's; the others believed she was too wound up to be of any proper use that night without getting herself into trouble further.

Godric was using all his resources in order to locate Andie, and no matter how gracious she felt about this, Charlotte felt it was a useless effort. Vampires were secretive by nature—they were _good_ at not getting caught, at staying under the radar. Just look at how long they remained unknown amongst the human race.

Godric sat beside her, careful in his movements. "We will locate your friend," he said quietly. "Every vampire in the city is looking for her."

Charlotte shook her head futilely. "Why would she get involved with something like that? What kind of person _does_ that?"

"If there is anything I have learned in time, it is that not everything is black and white, Charlotte." The vampire silently dwelled on his own dark past. It seemed wrong, to be so close to someone so innocent and fresh to the world, untainted by his kind of monster, but maybe things were as she said. Maybe they weren't terribly different from one another, not when looking at the foundations upon which they were introduced to the world. "You may be surprised to hear what she has to say."

"I'm not sure if I even want to hear it," Charlotte said despondently. She rubbed at her eyes wearily.

Godric took note. "Perhaps you should get some rest. There is nothing more you can do for her at the moment."

"No," Charlotte said, shaking her head. "I won't sleep. I just need to know that she's okay." _No matter how pissed off I am_, she thought. She paused as something occurred to her, turning to Godric. "The Underground—is that the source of disturbances in the kingdoms?"

"Yes," he said carefully. "They want to overthrow the existing Authority and create a new government system."

"But why?" Charlotte pressed. "Vampires only just 'came out of the coffin'. Your governments aren't going to be perfect until they've had time to cultivate."

"They are not seeking perfection," he tried to explain, his brow furrowed as he searched for the right words. It wasn't something he should worry her further with, he knew, but she had every right to know. He was tentative to divulge it. "They… do not believe in human rights."

"Don't believe in human rights?" She repeated, blinking. "That's _crazy_."

"Is it?" He asked sadly. "It was only recently that African Americans gained equal rights. Vampires believe that immortality makes them far more superior than any other kind. It is our biggest strength and weakness. With time comes wisdom or poison—it is very rare to find an old vampire who has not been poisoned by his time on earth. Is it so farfetched to think that, by the way many vampires have come to be, we would want to enslave humans?"

_Honestly?_ She thought,_ no. _Humans_ have enslaved other humans. _"But… we're not animals," she tried to reason, more with herself than Godric.

"No," Godric said. "You are not. But rarely does one think so rationally when they are overtaken with passion for their cause."

Charlotte pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned against the side of the couch, allowing her drooping eyes to close. This was all too much. It was just too much for her to handle. "I should have forgiven her," she whispered plaintively. "If I would have known…"

If Godric had to breathe, he would have held his breath. This girl was not the least bit afraid of him; here she sat with her neck clearly exposed, her eyes shut, completely unprotected against the superhuman strength he could easily inflict on others. She was so… at _ease_, it baffled him.

As if the air was water, pushing back his movements in the slightest, Godric slowly lifted his hand and put it over hers. He said nothing and watched as she finally allowed herself to drift into sleep.

* * *

**A/N: I have never kept with updates as I am right now. There's a short little thing I'd like to say about what's going on with the story—no, I do not intend to excuse Andie's behavior whatsoever. This whole premise has to do with an entire plot, so just be patient. **

**As for future updates… keep reviewing, and I can definitely get them up quick! (-:**

**Love you guys!**


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